Is anyone else doing any kind of water exercise? The YMCA near me has a 1 hour water aerobics class every morning, but I find that it doesn't push me quite hard enough. They also have a deep water aerobics class twice a week in the evening, and it is awesome.

Just wanted to see if anyone else has a list of things they do themselves that I might try instead of the water class in the a.m.

I am a shallow water aqua instructor. I don't have the YMCA qualification so I cannot comment specifically on the type of class you are probably being offered in shallow water. My comments will be more general.

I have often been told by people that they don't feel my class pushes them enough. They feel cold during the class etc. Often these are the people who I have noticed during the class as not being as responsive to what I am saying as they might be! NO NO I am not having a go, wait before you kill me.

My class is designed to be for all abilities and, at it's most intense, is a very hard cardiovascular workout. as well as a really hard resistance workout. I always explain and demonstrate that using the arms properly is a very important part of increasing the work done in aqua. HOWEVER, especially when using mitts, a lot of customers don't get the co-ordination right immediately and some instuctors just give up trying to get the message across in an easy to understand way.

I only have a couple of success stories (most people complain once and don't return). One lady had alienated the 2 previous aqua instructors and half of the class. When she complained to me about the lack of a good workout I spent 20 mins explaining and getting her to practise the correct arm movements. The following week she visibly wilted 20 minutes into the class and had to be advised to take it easier!

I don't say this is the only reason you feel the class may not be a hard workout. But the hint I took up was that you find the deep water work harder and you HAVE to use your arms much more in a deep water class. Try talking to your instructor and asking about you specifically, your technique, bounce, etc. You might find that you tend to 'swim' with your arms which gets you through the water well but does nothing to raise the workload or your heartrate.

Thanks for your reply Stef, and no, I didn't take it as a personal attack

The class I take used to be much more challenging. Then they stopped having the arthritis class immediately after that class, so many of those students started coming to the regular aerobics class. The instructor has changed, and has moved it to much more of a slow and easy movement kind of thing (much like the arthritis classes are).

I am also exploring trying the classes at another YMCA. I'm real limited in my time frame (I have to do it before work, because I need to be home with my son in the evening). It would be a struggle to get to a different Y and work out early enough to get to work somewhere close to ontime.

I frequently do a lot of the workout on my own in the second pool (they've moved the water aerobics class to the warmer pool to make it easier for the arthritis people). I prefer to workout in the cooler pool. Do you have any suggestions on where I can go to find information to customize my own workout?

As you are already a participant you probably won't need a video to get you used to the moves. I always wondered what good a water exercise video was anyway - you can't watch it and do it at the same time like a land class can you? Or can you?

There are a coupe of good books by Marybeth Pappas Gaines or Jane Katz, I think they are available on Amazon. Both are split down into easy sections and teach you how to construct you own, personalised routines. And loads of other info too.

If you know what I mean by hobby(rocking) horse, cross country skiing, frog jumps and even spotty dog then I could probably write you up a routine that you could use as a base.

I'm Barbg, also known as ageoldie, and I've been doing some sort of water aerobics for about 17 years.(That's when I took my first class.) I have done classes at several different health clubs in and around the Dallas area.

For some reason, I seem to prefer the shallow water classes, but I seem to go to a deepwater class most ofter. The club I'm in now has both at the same times. But I too like to do my OWN thing a lot of the time. The best thing I've found was something I ordered from the site www.aquajogger.com/ I orderd both the book and the tape that they offer and I love both of them. You might check out that site.

But if you are going to write a routine, I'd love to get a copy of it.

P.S. I just double checked the site, and the book I have is called WaterDance and the audio tape is WaterJive.

Sorry. I should have explained it. A Spotty Dog is just a x-country ski but you move the arm and leg on the same side rather than opposite sides. Imagine you are a puppet. When your left leg goes forward so does your left arm. When you are moving through the water this small change makes a BIG difference to how your back and stomach muscles have to work to keep you balanced!

The silly name comes from a childrens programme many many years ago called the Woodentops. they were a family of puppets who had a dalmatian dog whose name was? Yes! Spotty Dog.

Good luck with the surgery. You should get on well with the exercises when your physio says it's OK. As with all of my routines I take care to check for the kind of thing that might cause joint pain. The moves I posted will help you rehab the knee, but like I said ONLY WHEN YOU GET THE OK!

Thanks for asking about the family thing. Unfortunately it's an on-going thing. My mother-in-law got diagnosed with the Parkinson's like disease that Dudley Moore has got. Her 3 children are not coping very well, nor is her husband. I got the short straw - she told me to tell them she was ill not dead! She hates to be molly-coddled and they were all treating her like she was made of glass! I was well hated for about a week, now they just don't talk to me! My husband is coming round though and seems to understand (at last), so things are a little easier at home!

Anyway. Let me know how you get on after your surgery. Even if it is to swear about the so called professionals who made you walk on the bl***y thing too early!

My surgery was Friday and I came o
home Tuesday, and today, Friday againg, I almost feel human. I have to be really good doing my exercises, but things are going very well I think. They said I could get back in the water as soon as the stitches are removed on 2/21. I am able to move it a little more each day and I think things are going quite well. Of course I credit most of it on my mental state when I went In. I had spent the past two months exercising, and popping vitamins and iron getting prepared, and I had my mind made up that things were going to go really well. An my husband refuses to let me feel sorry for myself. So I'm doing great.